Learning and Bonding
by syyg
Summary: Young Miles Edgeworth is very curious as to what being married means.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:: Crossposted on AO3

"Uncle Ray… Are you busy?" Miles asked, a determined expression on the boy's face. "I…I have some questions and dad is really busy now with a new client."

"Yeah, I've got some time. What do you need kiddo?" Ray answered truthfully walking over towards the couch "do you want to sit down and ask them?"

…. Okay I don't know how long this will take. But I really want to know." The silver haired child responded, heading over to the couch and waiting until Ray was sitting before asking one of my class mates was out for school for a week because they were celebrating with their family that their oldest sister had become mates with someone. The class mate came back today and told us that their sister had bonded to her best friend and that they would be together forever. How does that work and how do you bond with someone like that? I mean… I have two best friends and… well Larry wants to bond to Lucy and… Well I hope that if they do bond that they are happy but… but uhm…" Miles looked down at his hands, blushing a little as he fidgeted with his hands "… Phoenix and I were… were kind of wondering how bonding works as… as we really like each other."

Ray was stunned by what he was hearing. Gregory had said that Miles had made a couple of friends in school- and in particularly that Miles seemed to be developing a bit of a puppy crush on Phoenix… But this was adorable in a completely unexpected way. And his pseudo- nephew was so serious and intense on this matter. He had only seen Miles this focused on the law and it was so cute! Ray tried and failed to hide the giant grin that had appeared on his face at the other's face. "Well…. There are several ways… But before I go into this… Are you sure that you don't want to ask your dad about all of this? It's kind of a close-family sort of thing to ask about."

"I told you, dad's busy… Phoenix is gonna try to ask his mom, but she doesn't get home from work until late. Please uncle Ray! It's very important that I know how it's done." Miles responded, eyes large and a little wet as if the boy was on the brink of tears.

"I.. hey, hey. I didn't mean to upset you Miles. It's just… I didn't expect you to come to me about something like this, but 'm flattered that you did." Ray responded moving closer to the other and lightly patting him on one of the boy's shoulders, knowing that Miles was a bit touch-shy.

"oh… okay… Are you going to tell me?" Miles responded, perking up a bit. It was very clear that the boy wouldn't let the matter rest until he had his answers and Miles as utterly set on getting them too.

"Okay, first things first. Because both of you are kids, you won't be able to fully bond for… for reasons that your dad will explain when he feels you're ready. Bonding rituals vary between cultures, religious and family traditions. However, from what I've seen and heard, several things hold true no matter what." Ray started, wanting to make things clear to Miles, who was still a child, as brilliant as he was and how grown up the other acted most of the time.

Miles sighed a little, but nodded in understanding. There were certain parts of criminal law that his father wouldn't let Miles study yet, and this matter seemed to be partly in that sort of area. "Okay. I understand, but how does it work?"

"Well… There are a few things that must happen. First thing is that or and the person - or people – you bond to must all know and care for one another. Otherwise the bonding won't stick. IT's why arranged mate-ships have months- long courting process. But that's a talk for another time. The next thing is an exchange of vows- promising to love, care for, protect and help one another for as long as you both (or more) live. Bonding means that you promise to stay with someone for better and for worse. The third thing is an exchange of things that mean a great deal to you to the other person or people. The fourth is a symbolic token that you and your partner or partners give to one another that you wear all the time, like a ring or locket. The final thing is that after all of that has been done, the people involved kiss and hold hands for a little while." The attorney in training explained. He paused for a bit to see if Miles was lost.

But the boy just nodded in understanding, a thoughtful expression on his face as he absorbed the information. After several minutes of silence, Miles asked "is there anything else?"

"There usually is- there can be quite a lot of pomp and circumstance around such things... However, what I told you earlier is the core of what happens. Most of the time, after all the words are said, the bonded people dance together and give one each other food. "ray answered, he was going to tell Gregory all about this. Miles was so adorably focused on this. Hopefully his words would give the boy a bit of pause to think about if he was sure. Not that these sorts of things fully stuck in children, but Miles needed to now the gravity of what he was asking about. There were play bonding rituals of course, but Ray was sure that Miles hadn't been asking for a game to play.

"Thank you for telling me about it uncle Ray. I'll be back to ask you more about it later… Maybe." Miles responded, wandering off to the offices library to read.  
Two weeks had passed since Uncle Ray had told Miles about how bonding worked. He considered it from every angle and had told Phoenix all about it when they had been walking home from school yesterday. If Phoenix wanted to do the bonding ritual that several of their classmates had done at recess… Miles did to, but he wanted to be the one to ask Phoenix.

He had written out the promises that he wanted to make to his friend and memorized them so that he could say them properly. Miles knew what he was going to give Phoenix as a gift, and he had found matching lockets that they could wear.

He spotted Phoenix waiting for him at the street corner they usually met at to walk to school together at. The darker haired boy was fidgeting with something in his hands and seemed a little nervous. "h-hi Miles! How are you doing today?"

"I am doing well… are you okay Phoenix?" You seem worried about something." Miles asked, frowning a little as he tried to figure out what was bothering the other.

"I-I'm fine! It's just… Larry said that he was going to ask Lucy to do the bonding game with him. Again." Phoenix responded with a wince. "… I don't think that her answer's gonna change and he's going to get upset and start crying… And then Chara and Homura are going to start teasing both of them and…. Yeah sorry for rambling."

"You don't need t apologize for being worried about Larry. I am too." Miles responded wondering if now would be a good time to ask. There was no one else to listen in on them while they walked to school… So even if Phoenix said no, nothing bad would happen. "I … He Phoenix… is there anyone that you would like to bond to?" That seemed like a good way to start the conversation, and if his friend wasn't interested in it at all, Miles would leave it at that.

"Like…Like the game that the others have been playing at recess? Or like… Someone that I want to marry for real… Or… Or both?" Phoenix responded, fidgeting a little with the blue signal samurai toy.

"… Both, if you've got a-an answer to that and you want to tell me." The silver haired boy managed out, holding his breath as he waited for the other's answer.

"…I… You… I… I'd like to bond to you!" Phoenix responded, almost shouting the words out, not that he had meant to. He was bright red and he couldn't look at Miles. His friend probably didn't know that or meant to ask if he was thinking about doing the game with someone else.

"I would like to bond with you too." Miles responded, relief and happiness flooding through him at Phoenix's response. He was unable to hide the bright grin that appeared on his face – not that Miles was trying not to smile… He felt so giddy and delighted that the both of them felt the same way.

"… I asked my Moms about Bonding and they told me about it…" Phoenix responded, peeking at his friend and feeling as though his heart had stopped beating for a couple of moments at the smile that had lit up Miles' face. Phoenix realized that his cheeks were burning a little and rubbed at them, trying to get the feeling to go away. "And uhm… One of the things that you're supposed to give the person that you want to bond to you is something that means a lot to you and… and if you've got room in your backpack, I'd… I'd like to give that to you now…"

"I-I do! And there's something that I'd like to give you to! It's very special to me." Miles responded, a second smile appearing on his face. Though he was nervous as he stopped, pulling out the object and handed it over "It's… It's the first mystery book that my dad got me. I've read it more times than I can count and it's my most favorite… it's also one of the reasons why I was first initially curious about law and lawyer things…"

Phoenix took the well-loved book and held it carefully. His mismatched eyes widened a little in surprise and awe that Miles would give this to him. Silently, Phoenix was determined to make sure that he kept the book for as long as he lived – and to take good care of the book. He had seen his friend reading the book a couple of times at school, and it was the only book that the silver-haired boy wouldn't share with anyone. "Thank you, Miles. It's a wonderful gift and I will keep and care for it forever!" He promised earnestly as he traced the tingle of the book with one finger.

The two of them were stopped at a crosswalk as a bunch of cars passed by, so Phoenix took off his backpack off and carefully slid the book into the main pocket of his backpack before carefully pulling out his own gift, which was put in a box for easier transport. He then zipped his backpack up again and put it back on his back, holding it out to the other. It took him a couple of moments to gather up the courage to explain the gift as Miles curiously took the box from him. He was nervous and Phoenix was pretty sure that the other could tell, given the concerned frown on the other's face. He just hoped that Miles would like it. After a couple more seconds, Phoenix started to explain, stuttering a little in anxiousness "I… I'm giving you the first blanket that my Moms made for me. T-the one that they gave me as one of the gifts they gave me on the first Christmas I spent with them. A-after they adopted me."

"I…. Oh… A-are you sure that you want t-to give this to me? N-not that I don't like it! I just…" Miles couldn't find the words that he wanted to use that didn't sound unintentionally mean or rude in his head, so he simply finished his sentence with a "… Thank you, Phoenix."  
"Yes, I'm sure! It's the most precious thing that I had, apart from the signal samurai charm. And we're going to be mates forever… So I want you to have it." Phoenix responded, a bright grin appearing on his face, most of the nervousness leaving him. "A-and I really will treasure the book you gave me for forever. I promise."

"Thank you, Phoenix." Miles responded, nodding in agreement "mates and best friends forever." The silver haired boy put the boxed blanket in his backpack.

The two of them shared shy, bashful grins as the cars finally cleared and the two of them were able to get to the rest of the way to school in a companionable silence. Phoenix had moved closer and the two of them occasionally bumped shoulders, as neither boy was quite bold enough to try to hold hands with the other, though both secretly wanted to.  
Phoenix liked to learn, and while he loved Art Class most out of all of the classes that he took normally… it was the class before lunch and recess… And Phoenix could barely sit still. Jamie and pat were the ones officiating the bonding rituals at recess because Jamie's Mom was a preacher and Pat was the one who had gone to the wedding. Miles and he had asked if the two of them to help them through the Bonding/Marriage ceremony and their classmates had agreed easily.

The teachers thought that their little weddings were cute from the way that they commented about it… But Phoenix was very serious about this, and he could tell that Miles was as well. Phoenix had even made forty-five chocolate chip cookies with help from his Moms (chocolate chip were Miles' favorite cookies. Phoenix knew because when someone else had a chocolate chip cookie with their lunch for dessert and Miles didn't, his friend always talked the other person into trading with him for it).

Forty-five kids were at recess every day (Phoenix had made sure to count and kept notes of how many were there each school day for a week and a half, writing down the number in one of his notebooks to track it), and he knew that he had to make one for everybody when he brought them out, but they were there because his Moms said that usually there was some sort of sweet dessert shared between the people getting Bonded and those who attended – not that everyone at recess would be attending their Bonding, but if he didn't have one for everyone Phoenix just knew that Chara or Homura would go running and crying off to one of the teachers and he would get into trouble. again and today was supposed to be happy! Of course the people who were being Bonded together were supposed to have more special sweet things to share with one another, which was why Phoenix had also made – with help – some brownies with frosting on it. He only brought two pieces with him, and he would give one to Miles after school in the plastic container that he had put it in.

Phoenix was a little worried that he might be overdoing it a little… It was just… The thought of getting married to Miles made him grin so bright and his insides feel strange. Like there were a bunch of roly-poly kittens in his stomach or something. Phoenix had also made the both of them matching friendship – or rather Bonding bracelets to wear. He had chosen both of their most favorite colors to make them and had done the most complicated design that he knew how to make. Both of them had taken Phoenix a little over a week to make, and he hoped that Miles would like that as well. His Moms had said that Bonded people wore matching jewelry to show that they were Bonded to someone… And given that he didn't know what kind of jewelry Miles liked – if the other boy even liked things like that, Phoenix figured that making elaborate bracelets for the two of them to wear would be okay. His Moms had liked the idea when he asked them about it, at least.

The lunch bell finally rang and everyone rushed out of the door to the cafeteria. Larry got lunch from the cafeteria, and had to rush off to get as close to the start of the line as possible, but both Miles and Phoenix had packed lunches. The two of them found a place where all three of them could sit that wasn't where most of the other kids were – as they could get quite noisy while eating. Phoenix had made sure to grab the big bag of cookies (which was hidden from sight from a grocery bag as he didn't want to get pestered right now for cookies from the others just yet). Miles and he waited until Larry came back with a tray of food – lunch today was apparently Sloppy Joes with a small salad and a fruit cup, from what Larry had picked. It smelled kinda good, actually, but Phoenix was looking forwards to his sandwich more.

All three of them ate quickly, wanting to get to finish so that they could go to recess a bit early. Larry because he was going to try to climb to the top of the jungle gym again. Phoenix looked at Miles and silently wondered if they should tell him what they were planning to on recess today.

Miles nodded a little before speaking up "… Hey Larry… Phoenix and I were thinking about getting bonded today."

"Yes, Edgey?" Larry asked through a mouthful of food.

"Phoenix and I are going to be bonded at recess today. We decided to this morning before school." Miles informed the blond succinctly.  
A broad grin appeared on Larry's face at that "Congrats, you two! I hope that you two will be happy forever! I wish I'd known sooner, as I'd have gotten you two a present!"

"That's really nice of you Larry! You... You're not mad or upset?" Phoenix asked a little worried suddenly.

"Naah! I know that Nick has been crushing on you since that stupid trial. Besides I'm going to ask Mary if she'd like to eat lunch with us tomorrow, if you two don't mind? She's really pretty and nice and I want to get to know her more!" Their troublesome friend responded with a cheerful grin that turned a little mischievous.

Phoenix and Miles both went bright red at that the darker boy sputtered out "L-Larry! Y-you said you weren't g-going to tell!"

"Yeah, but the two of you are gonna get married today. So it's a sure thing that Edgey likes you ba~ack!" Larry pointed out with a happy, teasing grin "Besides, my dad told me that keeping secrets from your bonded is a bad idea. So I'm helping you two talk! I see Mary over there, so I'm gonna go talk to her." With that the blonde scurried of with the rest of his lunch to go talk to the red haired girl.

Phoenix knew that he was still blushing, even after Larry (the traitor!) had gotten all the way over to where Marry was sitting with her friends. He couldn't bring himself to look at Miles, unsure as to how the other would respond to the revelations.

"... You have a crush on me?" Miles asked tentatively, grey eyes wide with surprise when Phoenix risked a peek at Miles' face.

"Y-yeah, I do. I like you a lot Miles. You're so amazing and clever and good at everything." Phoenix responded earnestly.

"N-no I'm not! I... The paper cranes... b-but thank you for the compliment." The other responded, stuttering a little and freezing up at the praise. It... It didn't feel as awkward when Phoenix gave him compliments rather than when he got awards. Then again, Miles reflected silently, he also wasn't up o stage being stared at by most of the school, either. "I... I like you a lot, too." Feelings were hard, and it had been mean of Larry to spill one of Phoenix's secrets like that, even if those secrets were involving himself.

A broad grin appeared on Phoenix's face at that, as delight spread through him. Impulsively the younger boy put a down the last of his sandwich and hugged Miles tightly. "I" really glad to hear that!"

Miles froze up for a little bit, but before Phoenix could let go and apologize, the silver haired boy hugged him back just as tightly. Miles was smiling brightly as well, and after they finished the hug, the two boys were still fairly close to one another. "Pat and Jamie seem to be almost done with their lunch. I know that they hold the Bonding Ceremonies by the swing most of the time. Should we head over there now?"

Phoenix nodded his stomach was doing excited and nervous flip-flops and he couldn't eat any more of his lunch. "Sounds good to me!" he put away the last little bit of his lunch and grabbed the grocery bag of cookies. "I'm ready to go when you are!"

Miles packed up the rest of his lunch too, nodding a little, "I'm ready to head over there too."  
The two of them hadn't been waiting all that long by the swings when Pat and Jamie came over, about half a dozen or so of their classmates trailing bind. "Okay" Said Jamie "Edgeworth and Wright asked to be bonded first today, so they go first. Are you two ready?"

They both nodded saying at the same time "Yes, I'm ready."

"Okay, I will start the ceremony. Welcome everyone on this warm spring day. We are here to see the bonding of Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix Wright. Is there anyone who opposes their union? Speak now or shut up forever about it." Jamie paused and Phoenix tried not to panic.  
Despite the fact that Miles was fairly quiet in class, he was pretty popular. He had overheard some of their classmates whispering and giggling about what it might be liked to be married to Miles. Being married meant spending Quiet Reading time together, sharing lunches and inviting your bonded to your birthday parties and sleepovers as well as going to theirs if your could get your parents to let you.

But no one did, and after the eternity of silence, Pat asked "Do you have your own promises that you'd like to make to one another? Or would you rather say the promises that are usually said at this time? Also – which of you is promising first?"

Miles glanced briefly at Phoenix before saying, "I have my own promises that I would like to make to Phoenix... Unless you have any objections,  
I'd like to speak first?"

Phoenix nodded in agreement, a shy smile appearing on his face. "I have my own promises too, and you can go first, since you want to!"

The silver-haired boy nodded at that, a sweet smile of his own spreading across his face. "Thank you, Phoenix." He cleared his throat and took both of the other's hands and held them with both of his own, looking into his closest friends eyes. His heart was beating so fast and hard flown up to the back of his mouth. "Phoenix Wright, you are my closest, best friend. You are kind, funny, and determined to do the right thing. I like you a lot. I promise to be your friend for as long as I live. I'm very lucky to have met you, and I am glad that we are going to be bonded. With this necklace, I bind myself to you, and promise to always stay true." With that, Miles pulled out a small box carefully pulling out a lovely locket and putting it around the other's neck.

The darker haired boy was blushing darkly at the promise and praise as a huge grin appeared on his face. It took him a couple of moments to find his voice before responding with "Miles Edgeworth, you are my closest friend too. You're amazing and really clever and… And you believed in and saved me when everyone else had turned on me. You're driven and brilliant at everything you do. I promise to be you fried for as long as I live, and I'm very glad to have met you. With this bracelet, I bind myself to you, and will always stay true." with that Phoenix pulled out the bracelet that he had made for Miles and diet it to the other's left wrist. At the same time that Phoenix gave Miles the other bracelet- so Miles could put it on his wrist the other boy and handed him a box identical to the one that Miles had taken the locket out of.

They put the matching item on one another at the same time. Miles leaned in a little closer and lightly pressed a kiss to one of Phoenix's cheeks, humming a little. The silver haired by was blushing brightly... And so was Phoenix. Who kissed Miles back on one cheek as they held hands again. Both of them had shy smiles on their faces and for a little while, it felt as if there was no one else in the world but one another, and that was fine with the two of them.

"Hey, Phoenix what's in the bag?" Jimmy asked curiously, looking a bit impatient when the dark haired boy looked over at his classmate, where the other was waiting impatiently with his best friend Joe.

"Oh! I made a whole bunch of cookies yesterday for everyone to share." Phoenix responded, grabbing the grocery bag and pulling out the large zipper-locked plastic bag "One for everybody! They're chocolate chip." He unzipped the bag and offered it first to Miles, who took one of the cookies, another (or perhaps the same) smile appearing (or staying) on his face. The other kids crowded around the two of them and everyone involved in the bonding Ceremony had a cookie.

The shuffling caused more attention and several more kids came alone, one of whom was Chara, who looked decidedly jealous about the cookies. "You're supposed to bring enough to share for everyone, if you're handing stuff like that out!" They griped, an unhappy expression appearing on their face.

"And I have. There's enough for you and everyone else at recess if they want one to, Chara. I made chocolate chip cookies for everyone to have, if you'd like one." Phoenix responded patiently, trying not to roll his eyes.

Chara huffed a little at that before moving closer and taking a cookie "… Thank you. It looks good and smells nice." They retreated back to the monkey bars. More kids came over as the other Bonding Ceremonies went onwards, some to watch what they were dong, others to get a cookie. The other three ceremonies managed to finish up before the bell rang for all of them to start to head back to their classes, which was nice. None of the other pairs had come up with their own promises, choosing to go with what was apparently the traditional wedding vows.  
As the school year continued to progress, Phoenix, Miles and Larry continued to study and play with each other as they had before two of them had married each other. Unfortunately, Larry hadn't been able to convinced Marry or Lucy or Ginny to bond with him. The class as a whole seemed to forget about the marriage ceremonies, but Phoenix still faithfully wore the locket and bracelet that signified his and Miles' bonding. HIs locket held two pictures, Miles on one side, his moms on the other. Usually Phoenix wore his locket under his shirt, but he only took it or the bracelet- off when he absolutely had to.

Occasionally Phoenix would see the matching bracelet or locket on Miles, which caused the dark haired boy to smile brightly, as everything about those days seemed just a bit better, just a little brighter. It was early December when Xenia- one of Phoenix's moms- suggested that he ask Miles if he and his dad wanted to spend Christmas day, or Maybe Christmas eve with the three of them had gone over to Miles' house which was an actual house, with a yard that Aimi (the puppy the three of them saved) could run around in with rolls, two pies and some veggie thing that was actually pretty good.

Phoenix had eagerly agreed, nodding excitedly. Winter break started after school in Friday, and he was determined to ask. Larry would be flying to Borginia with his parents for a big Christmas gathering. He knew that Miles' dad was going to be picking the silver haired boy up from school today as Mr. Edgeworth was going to be in court today, trying to save an innocent person from being wrongfully imprisoned. Miles had been talking all about it last week, the determination in his grey eyes shining. Phoenix had taken notes about what his husband was saying, asking questions about things that he didn't understand. Mostly his questions were about the meanings of various legal terms. Phoenix found that- at least from Miles- learning stuff about the legal world was really interesting. It helped that when he asked about something related to the Law, Miles' whole face would light up and the quieter boy could- and had- talked to him about the law for hours.

Phoenix had at least three note books full of law stuff that he'd learned not just from Miles, but also from books that he'd checked out form one of the public libraries. He understood why Miles found it so interesting. There was so much to learn and if you were clever enough to be a lawyer, you could protect innocent people from suffering unjust punishments. He'd been tempted to ask Miles if he could go see Mr. Edgeworth's court trial too... But worried that they didn't know enough to really get what was going on without asking Miles questions and didn't want to be a bother.

They day passed with a strange mix of very fast and far too slow for Phoenix. He tried more that once to talk to Miles about plans for Christmas, but he never got very far before someone would interrupt him and they would be distracted to the point where Phoenix would forget for a but as to why he wanted to talk to Miles in the first place.

It was only after school as he waited with Miles for the other's dad to come and pick him up, did they finally have time to talk. Miles, my moms and I Were wondering if you and your dad wanted to come over Christmas Eve or Day. Like when you two came over for Thanks giving." He blurted out in an anxious rush, unable to stay still. He started to shift from foot to foot anxiously.

"I'll have to ask my father, but I don't think that he'd say no... My aunt isn't going to be able to make it unto town for Christmas this year."  
Miles responded rubbing his arms a little, looking uncomfortable as he mentioned her. "Besides, I'd much rather spend Christmas with dad, and your moms and you rather than have to go flying all the way to where she lives... Or have her poking me all week that she's here."

Phoenix frowned a little as he remembered that particular incident... The fire poker accident that had happened over the spring break. Miles' aunt had apologized and said it was an accident... but he knew that even mentioning his aunt made Miles very uncomfortable. "Okay, I understand. My Moms said that I could invite you, so I wanted to be sure to ask you."

"There you are, Miles. Are you ready to leave?" Good afternoon Phoenix." Mr. Edgeworth greeted as he walked up to the two of them, smiling a little.  
Miles nodded, moving closer to his dead, saying quietly. "I am ready to go, father... Phoenix's parents invited us for Christmas."

"That would be wonderful! Thank you for the invitation, Phoenix. I will be sure to call your mother's for further details by Thursday." Mr. Edgeworth responded with a warm smile. The two of them left, and for a brief moment, Phoenix felt as though he would never see the two of them again, and that he should run after the two of them and try to stop them from going to the court house.

Phoenix shook off that weird thought and started to walk home. He knew that his Moms (detectives both of them) would be working late today. Momma was helping her Prosecutor partner look for who had recently stolen from CEO with colors for name and mama was going to be giving testimony of what she had done and uncovered during a drug bust in warehouse last week in downtown. That meant that he had the apartment to himself. Once he got home, Phoenix made sure to locked door behind him- checking it twice as he was supposed to- and turned on the radio as he pulled out the homework that he hadn't finished during the day, humming along to the Christmas songs as they played.  
Three days later, when power had been fully restored to the city and the streets were clear enough to move around on again, Phoenix went back to school. The TV had been on the news and his moms had been watching it when he had come into the living room. The newsperson had been talking about the fact that several people and died in the earthquake. Phoenix didn't know who or how many- even as he gaped at the sight of the half-ruined courthouse. One of his hands had shot up to where his locket was resting against his chest and held it tightly. Momma had said that she'd just left the courthouse when the earthquake had hit... but she didn't know if Miles and Mr. Edgeworh had gotten out of the courthouse before the earthquake had shook everything to pieces.

Phoenix knew that Larry was fine because he had come over to visit yesterday, while the adults had talked in low, quiet voices. The two of them had tried to go to Miles' place o see if the two of them were home but Larry's dad stopped them before they were half-way down the street.

Phoenix half-ran all the way to school, the worry about what might have happened to Miles fuelling his panicky steps. Miles had to be okay. The other was so smart and calm and able to think his way out of almost every situation and Mr. Edgeworth was just as clever. They were fine! They... they had to be. It wouldn't be right if they were hurt or if they were hurt sick because of the stupid earthquake.

Phoenix was glad that he brought the book that Miles had given him. He read the really cool mystery book whenever he started to worry, holding on tightly to the locked that Miles had given him. Just before the last class ended, Phoenix went up to the teacher and asked quietly "Is... is Edgeworth sick? Is... is that why he didn't come to school today?" he was fidgeting with his locket and bracelet.

She looked at him, her eyes strangely sad, even as she said cheerfully. "Your friend is fine, Mr. Wright His father simply kept him from school today."

He knew that was a lie. Miles almost never missed school, even for a court case, much less something like being sick. Besides, her voice went strange like when she was trying to play a joke on the class... only a bit different. "Okay could you give me a copy of today's homework?" I'm going to stop by his house today, and I know he'll want it."

"I... I... It's two days before winter break! There... there is no homework assigned." The teacher stuttered a little, taken off-guard.

"We did cross words in class. Miles would want to keep up, even though he's sick. Please? I know there's a punch of empty cross word pages over there... He pointed out. "Please, ma'am? I've gotten the school work and homework for today that Miles missed. He's already gonna be unhappy that he missed school today an' being able to catch up will cheer him up a little. Cause he's sick." Phoenix didn't entirely believe that Miles was sick, especially coming from the teacher who hosted the class trial but was willing to pretend he did in order to get the last thing that Miles would need in order to catch up.

"Very well then. You're quite determined about this." The teacher noted as she grabbed a blank crossword puzzle and the attached hints.

"Of course! We're husbands and best friends! Missing cool bothers Miles quite a bit, so I'm happy to help!" Phoenix cheerfully responded as he took the paper and went back to his desk, tucking it with the rest of the work pages for Miles. As soon as the bell rang for class and the teacher dismissed them to go home, Phoenix and Larry set off at a dead-run, determined to get to Miles' house as soon as possible to see how the other was doing.

They saw Miles getting into a strange black car, only looking back at them briefly as he got in. Miles looked sad and startled as Larry and Phoenix panted for breath, leaning over to try to recover their breath. The silver haired boy briefly tugged at his collar, and Phoenix saw the flash of the chain that held the other's locket on his neck. Phoenix knew then that there was Something going on…Probably Something Bad.

The car started to move and Phoenix ran after the car, frantically calling for his friend, trying to figure out what was going on. That wasn't Mr. Edgeworth's car. The train stopped him from running further and even as Larry waved the red signal samurai toy in front of him before throwing it down on the floor, intending to smash it to bits, Phoenix protected the toy.

Miles wouldn't throw away the symbol of the three of theirs' friendship! There was definitely something going on, and Phoenix spotted one of the pieces of dog kibble and after saving the toy, he showed it to Larry. The blonde ran off, but Phoenix was fairly sure that his friend would come back. That both of them would come back. He waited patiently by Miles' house, occasionally walking around a little when his feet started to feel sore from standing still in one place for too long.

His Moms were working late tonight, and while normally he would have been home long before now – and as the clouds rolled by and rain started to pour, he resolutely waited for Miles to come back home. Maybe one of Mr. Edgeworth's friends had come to pick up Miles earlier? Miles had likely accidentally dropped the toy, or it had fallen out of a pocket, landing in an unfortunate spot. Both of those things had happened to Phoenix (causing him to panic until he found his toy and had it securely placed where it wouldn't fall off for a long while at least).

Aimi and Miles came running in the rain as it started to get really dark and Phoenix moved out of the way, in case the other needed to get something from his house. When the other was frantically looking around the trash can, he came forwards smiling a little "I knew that you would come back. You dropped this." He handed the toy back to Miles and the two of them talked for a little while.

Larry came running over with umbrellas in hand, also soaking wet. When Phoenix asked how Miles was going to get back to where he had been before – as the dog had eaten the kibble on the way back to where Miles' home was they all laughed and laughed until they fell over. Or rather, until Phoenix and Larry fell over. Miles leaned against the wall as all three of them caught their breath.


	2. Chapter 2

"That's a good point, Phoenix… I… I don't know how I'm going to get back there. I… I'm supposed to be living where I was taken to now… My… My dad… I-In the earthquake… We…We were trapped in an elevator and the bailiff kinda went a little… Crazy… He… He wanted to shoot us but m-my dad he… He knocked the gun out of the bailiff's hand and…. And when they continued to fight I grabbed the gun and threw it at the b-bailiff. I don't know what happened after that, I was… There was no air and I heard a gunshot…W-when… When I… I woke up I found out that… T-that my dad d-d-died. F-from a gunshot w-wound." Miles managed out, stuttering miserably as tears streaked down his face, mixing with the rain.

Phoenix and Larry both immediately rushed over to the silver haired boy and hugged him tightly, making sure not to trap the other's arms in case Miles wanted to push them away. "It wasn't your fault, Miles! Your dad was trying to protect you from that crazy bailiff." Phoenix said firmly, a determined expression appearing on his face. "As for… For how you're getting back to your new family… My place is closest, next to yours Miles. I'll call one of my Moms and she can help you get back to where you need to go…Unless they gave you a number that you could call them at?"

"… I snuck out of where they live. I… Mr. Von Karma is there, and he has a daughter who is a lot younger than we are… So I guess I have a little sister now. Her name is Franziska." Miles explained quietly, leaning into the hug and so very grateful he had friends as stubborn and loyal as Phoenix and Larry. "They live in completely different area of town and I don't know if we'll be able to go to the same school anymore."

"…Oh… But we can call one another when we can and write letters everyday! It's not like you're moving to a new city or anything like that… Do you remember that play-park that we found when we were looking for the person who abandoned Aimi in the middle of town? We could meet there on weekends, if… If you want to." Phoenix offered, doing his best to come up with ways that they could remain friends. He wasn't going to give up being Husbands and Best Friends with Miles easily. He had promised Forever with Miles and he intended to keep that promise. Especially since the other had lost his dad. He had grown up in an orphanage and he knew what it was like to feel the awful emptiness that yawned inside of you as you wondered if the people that you loved (or at least…Phoenix was told that his parents had loved him before they had died. So he supposed that he was supposed to love his parents but… Phoenix didn't know them. Which made him feel really awful some days, but that had stopped mostly after he had been adopted by his Moms and started to love them) were happy and safe in wherever or whatever happened to a person after they died.

"That… That sounds really nice. I'm probably going to be in trouble for sneaking out, if I don't manage to make it back without help from adults…" Miles muttered, fidgeting a little in anxiety. "I don't know how well Mr. Von Karma will take me sneaking out like this…" He wouldn't have ever snuck out with his dad…But then again, his dad would have never thrown out his red samurai toy, as the other knew how much it had meant to him. The three of them stopped hugging one another as they tried to come up with some sort of plan to keep Miles from getting into trouble. Especially since Miles got really upset when adults were mad at him. Not that Phoenix or Larry took it particularly well, but they at least had a bit more practice than their more quiet friend.

"… Oh. There is that. Uhhm…" Phoenix couldn't really figure out what to do. Usually Miles came up with the best ideas or Larry would come up with something really ridiculous that would somehow still work out well in the end. "… Maybe one of my Moms can sneak you back to wherever you live all quiet-like? I'm pretty sure that we could talk mama Xenia into doing so. She likes doing sneaky stuff like that and wouldn't want you to get into trouble with your new family so soon. O-Or mom Roc could explain to your new parent that you really had to pick up your homework, which you knew that I was going to come over to bring to you, and you couldn't call me because I can't go into your old house and I don't have a cell phone that you could call me on! And you know that I'm stubborn enough to wait by your house all night to give you your homework because I've been waiting by your doorstep before when your dad and you have come back from the courthouse really late because a trial went long?"

"I… You… but… But wouldn't that be lying?" Miles asked softly, fidgeting a little.

"No, because the original reason why I came over here was to drop off the homework and school work that you missed today. The teachers all said that you were out sick, so I gathered up the work for you 'cause I didn't know that you were moving and probably changing schools and I know that you really don't like missing school." Phoenix responded honestly, pulling out the special folder that he kept in reserve for things that he wanted to give to Miles, or was saving for the silver haired boy, opening it and showing the dozen or so pieces of paper. "They didn't give us much to do today and were all quiet and gentle-voices at us, even when some of the others got noisy. Like they were worried that the earthquake had scared us or that if they shouted that the earthquake would come again or something." The teacher had also all gotten quiet and a little sad looking every time that Phoenix had asked for the school work or homework for that class to give to Miles. Maybe because they knew that his friend was moving to the other side of town and wouldn't be able to turn in the homework? But why wouldn't they have just told him that?

The silver haired boy's eyes widened a little in surprise before Miles hugged Phoenix tightly, another smile appearing on his face. "T-thank you Phoenix! I-it was really nice of you to go through all of this trouble for me. A-and you too, Larry! I… I want to thank you both for being such good friends! You two were the first friends I've had. Real friends, I mean. Not kids who wanted to cheat off my homework if I'd let them." A tiny sound, not unlike a sob escaped the silver haired boy as he buried his face into one of Phoenix's shoulders.

"You and Larry are my first friends too." Phoenix admitted quietly, returning the hug back just as tightly. Larry hugged the both of them after a couple of moments as the two of them looked at Larry expectantly, wanting the blond to hug them too, if he wanted to. Silent tears fell from the dark haired boy's eyes as he continued to cling to his husband. He could barely begin to think about how sad and worried Miles would be about losing his dad and then being adopted by a stranger and his daughter… On top of that, the other would be moving to a whole new school and Phoenix hoped that the other would be able to find new friends – even if the thought of being replaced hurt the last thing that he wanted was for Miles to be alone at school on top of being sad and missing his dad.

"… You guys are the first who've stuck by me for so long. Most people think that I get into all the trouble I do completely on accident and their parents call me a 'trouble-maker' or a 'delinquent' and stop them from being friends with me." Larry admitted quietly as he held tightly to his two best friends. He knew he messed up a lot, but his friendships with Miles and Phoenix were things that he hadn't messed up yet and it was really upsetting to know that he wouldn't see Miles as much anymore… And now he was crying too.  
Phoenix's and Larry's parents found the three of them hiccupping and crying in the rain shortly after all three of them had begun to cry. There was also a very stern and scary looking old man who had accompanied Phoenix's moms.

Phoenix was glad that the rain had been able to hide their tears as the three of them did their best to stop quickly, as he looked the sort of person who said that real alphas don't cry or something mocking to that effect. Phoenix had more than one foster parent who'd said something like that. Also things like stop crying like a pathetic omega and alpha up, brat but he never stayed with those foster parents all that long. Not that he really understood what they were referencing. It seemed to be some sort of closely guarded adult secret… Although Phoenix was uncertain as to whether or not he really wanted to try to find out on his own.

"Why did you come back here, young man?" The scary old man asked voice stern but not as biting as Phoenix had thought it'd be.

Miles stiffened anxiously in his and Larry's grip, prompting the two of them to shift a little, trying to hide the silver haired boy. "I... I-I needed to... t-to..."

"We needed to meet up today to do more research on our end of year project. We were supposed to meet up at the Library at school today, but Miles wasn't at school. Which never happens, so we wanted to make sure that he was okay... because... because of the earthquake. We weren't allowed to come see how he was doing earlier 'cause our parents told us not to and watched to make sure we didn't go wandering off to find Miles. "Larry responded quickly, not quite lying, as those had been their plans before the earthquake.  
"What's this end of year project of the three of yours? It must be quite extensive if you're researching it so soon." The old man remarked, raising an eye brow at the trio of boys.  
"We have to do it in stages; the teacher broke it up into smaller parts to do as the year progresses. And we want to be active about it!" Phoenix interjected as Larry didn't want to admit that he found law stuff to be interesting, saying that he only wanted to know for the sake of the project. But as his friend usually only helped with group projects at the very last minute, Phoenix knew that wasn't true.

"And what is this project?" The old man pressed, undeterred, even as the rain started to pour harder on their heads and the wind started to pick up. He sent both Parry's and Phoenix's parents stern glares when one of the five other adults tried to "We were planning on holding a mock trial, with one of us being a Prosecutor, the second a Defense Attorney and he third person being either the Judge or the defendant. The judge if the teacher doesn't want to play the role, the defendant otherwise. Or the third person was going to be a witness that the prosecution was going to call to the stand, and that the defense attorney would then cross examine. We haven't quite figured out what the third role should be. Miles spoke up from between his two best friends. ".. Sir."

"That's quite a topic to pick. How much research have the trio of you done on that so far?" the old man responded, his eyes lighting up in curiosity.

Phoenix reluctantly let go of Miles, coming forwards a few steps as he opened one of the umbrellas, took off his backpack and dug through it one handed as he carefully pulled out several full notebooks labeled with Defense Attorney info, Prosecutor info and Judge info, and Police Investigators info written on them neatly. Each of the books were partially filled it with notes. And the defense attorney note book had the most info on it while the Prosecutor notebook was the most empty. He held the note books out to the old man if the other wanted to look through them, mindful to keep them under the umbrella.

The old man's eyebrow moved further up his face as he took his note books from Phoenix flipping through each of them. He seemed surprised as to how much was in a number of them. "You three haven't researched much about Prosecutes yet." he remarked quietly.

"Part of it is because we haven't talked to any Prosecutors yet. Part of the project is that we have to talk to an adult who does that job. My mom's are detectives, so I was able to talk to them about being a detective and they've a friend who's a forensic scientist and a crime scene analyst.

"And I have an uncle whose friend is the daughter of a judge, so we were able to talk to him, too." Larry piped up from behind Phoenix, still lending silent support to an anxious Miles.

"And... and my dad was a defense attorney, so I could ask him all about what he did." Miles spoke quietly, voice just barely heard over the sound of the rain. "But... but since y-your home is on the other side of town... w-we're supposed to have all of the information we're probably going to use the end of January." There had been an awful lot for them to research, but it'd well worth it to hold a true mock trial, rather than the stupid mockery of one that had been held in the summer. He just hoped that Mr. Von Karma would at least let him finish the rest of the school year.

"It's... rather impressive what the three of you have been able to gather. And you're in luck about being able to speak with a prosecutor, as I am one. It would be terribly unfair of me to scupper all of this hard work. Besides, it'd be easier to have Miles change schools between school years. Rather than during one." the old, still scary Prosecutor responded, looking reflective as he handed he notebooks back to Phoenix. "I wish that you'd told me about this Miles, but I do understand that these sorts of things can escape one's mind, particularly since you just lost your father. I am cuprous as to how you were able to find our way back here."

"Miles has a really good sense of direction!" Phoenix and Larry chimed in at the same time as the dark haired boy put the notebooks away and retreated to his best friend's side. "He almost never gets lost, no matter where ever we are in the city."

Mr. Prosecutor chuckled softly at their words, looking at Miles direct as he spoke "You've very loyal friends, Miles. Although I am somewhat surprised at how little you've spoken."

"Miles is usually pretty quiet, especially around adults." Larry informed the man." Unless he knows that they are wrong or being very unfair for no reason. But that doesn't happen often."

Mr. Prosecutor was... there was something about him that made Phoenix very, very nervous. Larry was shaking a little and Phoenix was pretty sure that the blonde boy could sense it too. He wanted to grab his two best friends and run away as far as his legs could carry him. Mr. Prosecutor was dangerous; for all that he seemed stern, but nice. There was something about him that reminded Phoenix of his last foster father... the one who'd locked him in a cage and hoisted him in the cage for hours on end if Phoenix did something against the many and ever shifting rules. He hugged Miles tightly and stared at Mr. Prosecutor's legs, trying to overcome the anxiety that'd risen so powerfully inside of him.

"It's quite late and you three should get out of those wet clothes before the three of you get terribly sick, as it would be unfortunate if the three of you spent the last few remaining days of school before your winter break miserably sick." Mr. Prosecutor responded "My car is not far from here, Miles please come with me, and do make sure to grab your dog."

"Yes sir." Miles responded quietly, shifting a little as he moved away from Phoenix and Larry, grabbing Aimi and holding her carefully as he left with the old man.

Phoenix wanted to cling all the tighter to his husband, but had the distinct feeling that being stubborn now would only get Miles into further trouble. The three boys nodded and with some reluctance, they split up. He walked over to his mothers, watching Miles leave until the other was out of sight completely. "He's scary Mom."

"… Prosecutor Von Karma can come off as very intimidating, Phoenix. Bt it was kind of him to adopt Miles." Roc offered quietly, not entirely surprised that her son had picked up on a few things. He was highly perceptive for a kid and Von Karma…. Had a perfect record and the rumors abounded of the man's ruthlessness and willingness to… Stretch the truth to suit the verdict he wanted. "Let's go home, hmm? You'll see Miles again in the morning."

He nodded, yawning a little as he walked home with his parents, one of his hands tracing the pattern of the bracelet he'd made, quietly hoping that Miles would be able to hide the token of their Marriage Ritual so that he could keep them.  
Phoenix didn't much care for Mr. Von Karma. It wasn't that he was stern- his moms could be stern at times... But it was the way that the man watched Miles. The fact that the man never hugged or patted his friend on one shoulder. The way that the old man demanded perfection from Miles and scolded his friend when the other got anything less than A+ on everything. Including in art class, where Phoenix knew that the other struggled occasionally.

Mr. Von Karma also never smiled at Miles, or anyone. He occasionally smirked at other but he never seemed to be happy or satisfied. Phoenix had lived with more than one foster parent like that and they could be very cruel and demanding. He did his best to hug Miles as he could and had Miles over for studying and sleep overs as much as they could get away with. Larry helped with that the best he could, and the two of them did their best to help Miles do better in art class.

Their project was going really well. Larry was going to be the judge and was learning all about what they were supposed to do. Mostly because of Mr. Von Karma, Miles decided to be The Prosecutor in the case, while Phoenix was going to be The Defense attorney. The teacher would be the one to create the case that they'd be arguing over and evidence would be scattered throughout the school. Their project had generated a rather a lot of curiosity and several of their classmates had volunteered to be witnesses. They'd be doing all of the investigating themselves and in the time from that a true trial had. The prosecution starting to gather information as soon as the defendant was arrested and the defense when the accused agreed to be represented. Yes, Miles 'd have the advantage, but Phoenix was determined to find the truth. No one would be the defendant to avoid hurt feelings the person accused would be a fake student and only the teacher would know at first if the defendant was guilty or not.

The trial for the man who'd killed Mr. Edgeworth had concluded a couple of days ago and Miles was really wound up about it. He understood why, the defense attorney had been really sneaky about how he'd gotten the defendant off. Phoenix still wanted to be a defense attorney, but he'd never do something like that. Mr. Yogi was sane and the sneaky verdict was awful. He hugged Miles extra tight after they'd found out.

The slightly older boy walked over to where Phoenix had been patiently waiting for his husband to come to school. "Are you still going to be the defense attorney in the project Phoenix?" Miles asked, voice shaky and tight.

"...uhm.. Well... I... one of has to, right? F-for the trait to be be fair. Do... DO.. You want to be?" Phoenix responded uncertainly.

"...I suppose that's true." Mile frowned unhappily as he moved over and sat down next to Phoenix. Mr. Von Karma had to drive and drop Miles off at school a while hour and a half before it started, but Phoenix didn't mind keeping the other company. It meant that they had some time together since Mr. Von Karma had someone pick Miles up from school the minute the final bell rang most days. Larry usually made it to school to hang out early too, but sometimes the blonde slept through his alarms. Today seemed to be one of those days.

I would be looking from the truth of what happened. Not trying to save the person from any punishment they deserved. "That's what lawyers are supposed to do, right find the evidence and see what it says to the guilt or innocence of the person accused. 'Cause there are sometimes when the police find the wrong person the first time around." Phoenix pointed out timidly, Miles was starting to really dislike defense attorneys after DL-6 and Phoenix understood why.

But he'd been wrongfully accused of a crime and when he'd gently reminded Miles of that, the fair hared child calmed down a little. "... Thanks, Phoenix. IT's just... Mr. Von Karma really, really doesn't like defense attorneys and we might be moving all the way to Germany and Franciscka keeps hitting me with her whip every time I come home." he hugged Phoenix tightly and buried his face in the dark haired boy's shoulder and sobbed. "I-I m-miss m-my dad so m-much but Mr. V-Von K-karma yells at m-me when eh h-hears me crying and.. And the o-only way I could k-keep the blanket you gave me is.. Is to tell h-him that it's for A-aimi. I'm sorry I wanted to keep it s-so bad and I k-know how much it means to you. 'm a bad husband."

Phoenix held on tightly to his closest friend as two conflicting feelings bubbled up in his chest. The main feeling was worry over Miles and what Mr. Von Karma was planning on doing to his friend. The other was... Phoenix would call it anger but it burned hotter and darker than just anger towards Mr. Von Karma and whoever was responsible for killing Miles's Dad as that was why the awful and scary Mr. Von Karma had come into his friend's life. Miss Franciscka was.. Strange and clever, but occasionally very sweet. Phoenix made sure to make a couple of extra cookies for her on the few occasions that he and Larry had slept over at the castle that The Von Karmas lived in. He of course, had more cookies for Miles, but she wouldn't tell Mr. Von Karma if he gave her a couple. "You are an awesome husband, Miles. he is very strict and if that's the only way you can keep it, then that's okay. I like you a whole lot. More than anyone else in the whole world and I always will."

Miles continued to cry for a while and held onto Phoenix so tightly he could hardly breath. But he was happy to help the other cry out at least some of the pain that the other was feeling about losing his father and eventually having to move so far from home. Phoenix hugged the other tightly and let him cry as much as Miles needed to.

After a while, Miles let him go and wiped his face with his hands." T-thank you so much. Sorry for getting your shirt wet."

"You're welcome, and you've been through quite a lot and I don't mind. You can cry on me as much as you need to. For better or worse, as the saying goes." Phoenix responded, a shy smile appearing on his face. "As for... for Germany, I'll write and call everyday if you want me to."

A soft blush appeared on his friend's face at that, and Miles nodded in agreement. "For better or worse a-and I'll try to figure out what the address is so that you can write to me. I've heard that international calls can be expensive. B-but we might be able to email each other. I'll be able to keep my email when we move and I'll use that when I can."

Phoenix nodded, a determined expression appearing on his face. "That sounds like a good plan. And maybe Mr. Von karma will change his mind about Germany." They still had several months of school let yet, and Mr. Von Karma had said that he'd make Miles change schools between years. Mr. Von Karma was many things, but he seemed to keep his promises at least. Even if the grumpy old man was the person that Phoenix disliked most in the whole world.

"...Maybe. I hope so. Franciscka says that she has an older sister, but I haven't met her yet. She's in law school right now." Miles responded quietly.

"Ah. I see. Hopefully she's nice." Phoenix murmured hopefully, hugging his friend close. The two of them started to go over the court procedures again.  
Phoenix knew that you shouldn't hate anyone, and that being angry at someone just meant that they could upset you earlier than if you weren't mad at them as soon as you heard their name... But the young boy couldn't help but /hate/ Mr. Von Karma. He pushed and bullied Miles- and Franciscka as well. And she was just three years old! She hadn't had a birthday before, so Miles and he (and Larry!) had decided to throw her a small surprise party. They'd baked the cake themselves and each gotten her a gift. Larry had given her a small brown bear with a little green police officer's uniform that she called Scruffy and cling onto tightly. Miles had gotten he a note book with golden scales on the cover and Phoenix had given her a joke book as she giggled a lot at the knock-knock jokes they'd told.

Mr. Von Karma had taken both the bear and the joke book from her, according to Miles. He'd said that the rotten old man said that she didn't need such trivial and childish things. Franciscka had nodded and waited until Mr. Von Karma couldn't hear her before she clung to her younger brother and cried until she fell asleep. The day of the mock trial was getting close, and soon after that the end of the school year. Miles was going to be forced to be a prosecutor... Maybe in Germany. But Phoenix was going to become the best defense attorney he could, so that he could afford to go to Germany and help Miles escape Mr. Von Karma. He wasn't sure how to pin down all of the details, but he'd figure it out as he got older.

He would have to, in order to save his husband and his little sister.

Miles had won the trial, but all of the evidence that both of them had found, pointed to the fake defendant being guilty. Phoenix pointed out that the defendant had been blackmailed into committing the crime, revealing the shadowy blackmailer and a list that made up person's crimes. This had gotten his client's sentence reduced, which is what he'd been aiming for the entire time.

Both of them were in full suits, and had been during all three days of the trial. Phoenix had been wearing a dark blue suit. While Miles wore the red suit that he'd always worn to school, this time with proper pants. The two of them were wearing bowties too. And Larry had gotten a Halloween costume of a Judge's outfit and gavel.

The whole class had been still and completely silent during the trial, their eyes wide. Larry banged the gavel as he spoke up seriously. "The court finds I. Guilty of robbing the bank, and S. Neaky will be arrested for blackmail. Bailiffs! Seize the witness!"

The three of them paused for a little bit before the three boys turned to the class and bowed, saying, "This is our final project, we hoped that you enjoyed it." They were the only ones who presented during the three days of their r trial. IT was wonderful to hear the applause.

"Well done, all three of you." The teacher praised, "Next group, please? Homura, Chara and Ib."

The three of them had gone to their seats, glad that they were done. It'd been a nerve wracking to show what they'd learned of the legal system, but they'd done it. Phoenix could barely hear the three of them talking about different occult and magical rituals and games that were played during different times of thee ears in various cultures. The last was a game called Sachi-something it involved a paper doll and a chant. Homura offered to play it with anyone who was interested, but none of the three of them wanted to play. If it was real, there was a gamble involved that none of them wanted to try to pay.

The days passed too fast for Phoenix's liking and the final day of school never seemed so awful. Mr. Von Karma had been pleased that Miles had one the mock trial and had agreed that the silver haired boy could have one last sleep over before the Von Karma family left for Germany. Miles had been learning German in preparation, but it was a tricky language to learn... The sleep over would be held at the castle-mansion thing and all of the people that Miles wanted to attend could come.

Only Phoenix and Larry had been invited, and both of them had brought everything they needed, as well as snacks to share. Franciscka had appeared in the room they'd been told to use, a blanket in one hand, a pillow in the other and big, wobbly blue eyes that none of the three boys could say no to when she demanded to be part of the sleep over "let me in... Please? I... I will miss you two. I haven't had friends before now... Now I have two and a little brother."

"..." Miles looked at her for a little bit, sighed and said, "If Phoenix and Larry don't mind... you can stay."

Both of his friends agreed to let her stay and the blond boy said quietly, "I've ma gift for you, Franny. I know that Scruffy was taken away by your Pops but..." He pulled out a small teddy bear that could be hidden in his hands easily. "Maybe he'll let you keep this one?"

She tackled Larry, hugging him tightly. Franciscka let go after a little while and all three boys pretended that the shoulder that the young girl had hidden her face wasn't damp. "T-thank you, Larry. I-I will try to k-keep him."

"You're welcome, Franny!" Larry responded with an easy grin, ruffling her hair a little. "Do you want to pick out which game you want to play first? Or we have some signal samurai DVDs to watch."

"Signal Samurai!" Miles and Franciscka said at the same time, both of them looking excited.

All four of them watched the show with rapt attention, gasping at the dramatic points, worrying on the cliff hangers and sniffling a little at the sad parts. They played Uno and Go Fish. The four of them were about to start another game when someone knocked on the door.

Phoenix got up first and opened the door asking cheerfully "Who is it?" He squeaked a little in surprise as Mr. Von Karma looked at him from the other side of the door. He was holding a box of delicious smelling pizza but Phoenix didn't trust the old man. The box said Pizza but Phoenix didn't trust him at all . "It... hello M-M-Mr. Von Karma! Were we b-b-being too noisy?"

"No, the four of you are being quiet. The pizza arrived. Here you are Phoenix the lot of you aren't up to mischief?" You only stutter when you're nervous." The Prosecutor responded, an amused expression appearing on his face.

"We are being good, Mister." Phoenix promised as he took the box that supposedly contained pizza with great care. "... Just surprised that you knew that Franciscka was here too."

"I saw her drag her blanket across the manor, shortly after you two arrived. OD try not to stay up too late. After you two leave, the three of us are leaving for Germany." Mr. Von Karma responded, turning away.

Phoenix ran inside the room shutting the door behind him with a kick. He set down the pizza box and clung to Miles tightly, trying and failing not to start crying.

"What's wrong?" the other three asked as Miles hugged Phoenix back tightly.

Larry and Franciscka hugged the dark haired boy tightly trying to help Miles calm Phoenix down. "H-He... He said that you were l-leaving t-tomorrow!"

Both Mils and Franciscka frowned in confusion and alarm. "Papa said we had a week to pack and say goodbye. He said that t-today." Franciscka hiccupped, starting to sniffle a little. Perfect little girls didn't cry. She'd already been imperfect when she'd gotten Baby Scruffy earlier. "H-he promised !"

"... Some adults are bad at keeping their word." Phoenix muttered unhappily, scowling a little, even as tears still fell from his face. "He already waited 'til the end of the school year to move." the jerk probably thought that they would be /grateful/ to be able to say good bye like this. Mean and smug old codger!

"...But Papa usually keeps his promises. Maybe something came up, that's the reason he tells us when he has to break a promise. Maybe there's a big case in Germany that they need him to prosecute." Franciscka murmured nervously, a worried expression appearing on her face. "... It's not fair!"

"No, but it's what he said. Do you know where you two are moving to? That way we can send you letters and talk that way." Phoenix responded, "IF you don't have the address, and if you want to, you could write to one or both of us and then we'd have your address that way."

"Yeah! Phoenix and me had done that before we were adopted by our parents. We lived in the same foster home for a while and kept in touch after I was moved." Larry added in cheerfully, a bright grin appearing on his face.

"Oh... that's a great idea! We will!" the adopted siblings responded, nodding excitedly. IT was awful that they were moving so soon, but the thought of being able to be able to talk to Phoenix and Larry at least in some way was cheering. Maybe their oldest sister would be able to help them send letters internationally, or one of the people who lived at the new place would help them.

After that, all four of them dug into the very yummy pizza and played games until they passed out in a pile. Miles was in the middle, with Larry and Phoenix on either side of him. Franciscka had climbed into the silver haired boy's lap and draped the blanket around everyone. This cozy warmth felt like home and the little girl wished with all her might that she wouldn't have to lose this so soon.

"Come on now, you four." A kindly, but unfamiliar voice startled them awake.

The four children blinked up at the maid, yawning and rubbing their eyes. "What time is it, miss?" Larry asked through a second yawn, leaning into Miles again. The stretch that he'd done had worn him out and he was entirely too warm and comfy to move.

"Seven in the morning. Come on, you and he both need to go home- your parents are here to pick you up. And Miss Von Karma and Mr. Edgeworth need to get up as well. You two have a very busy day ahead of you." She instructed primly but not unkindly, the maid left after she spoke.

Groans of complaint escaped the kids as they reluctantly got up.

Phoenix moved over to Miles, pressing a kiss to one of Miles' cheeks, promising fiercely "Bye hubby. This is not a forever goodbye. If I have to I... I'll save up enough money to go all the way to Germany if nothing else."

"I promise this isn't a forever goodbye too." Miles responded back, hugging his friend tightly and giving the darker haired boy a kiss on the cheek as well. "We might be away for a long time, but the letters will help."

None of the four of them knew how long it would be until they would meet again, but each was determined that this would not be their final goodbye. Franziska had questions as to why Phoenix and Miles had kissed on another, and why the dark haired boy called her younger brother Hubby but she would wait until they were in Germany and Papa was away, because this seemed like a thing that Papa might not like but Miles was smiling happily and Phoenix was really nice. And Larry was silly and nice and fun too. Friends was a strange word, but one that the little girl was finding that she liked. She hoped that her and her brother would be able to find friends in Germany. Not that they would replace Phoenix and Larry but… Maybe it would help ease the sadness and wanting-to-stay feeling that was already making her heart hurt and heavy.

They said their final goodbyes at the door, as one of Phoenix's moms and one of Larry's dads were waiting for them at the front door. Franziska had made doubly sure that Baby Scruffy was hidden in a pocket, determined not to lose this one... Even though Papa said they were silly... Franziska was pretty sure that just a little bit of silliness was a good thing.


End file.
